GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Charles Burchfield first came to Buffalo, New York, in 1921 to design wallpaper for a local firm. There, he painted many of the haunting townscapes that speak of loneliness, isolation, and mystery. Referring to this work, Burchfield himself said, "For me the `picture' was the grim dramatic quality of the buildings in the eerie light of an imminent storm." Street Scene depicts a box-gatherer pulling his cart down Genesee Street on a day in early spring. The scene derives a surreal quality from the giant trade signs of a molar and a pair of shears and the "false-front" effect of the central structure. A master watercolorist, Burchfield used the medium to express visual equivalents of sounds and psychic sensations, often splicing together large sheets of paper to create such monumental works.
Excerpt from
DMA label copy
NOTES
Createad in 1940-1947
Object File Reviewed
Extensive biography--did not have time to add here
Finch, Chiristopher, American Watercolors (New York: Abbeville Press 1986), p. 231, plate 297 (b/w ill.).
Street Scene, based on a drawing made around 1940, is one of Burchfield's last urban subjects, a return to realist concerns at a time when expressionism was beginning to dominate his work once more. Although his treatment is relatively restrained, a comparison of the final painting with the pencil study shows how Burchfield both simplified and exaggerated the architecture of some of the ..."photocopy ends
Burchfield painted the American Scene long before it was officially labeled and accepted. At a time when study in the French schools was the traditional "must" for young American artists , Burchfield stayed at home and proved that significant art could evolve from the native scene. Along with a few other artists , he aided mightily in deflecting the attention of American painters from the Paris influence to the horrie environment.
His is the kind of painting that needs no complicated translation - perhaps a touch satirically , but also nostalgically , he paints the faded grandeur of yesterday's mansions - the drab rows of cheap suburban houses - the relics of what he terms "our tag-end pioneer days." He paints with a haunting atmospheric truth a muted beauty that does not repel-although with a 20th century feeling for structural organization.
The artist was born in Ohio and studied at the Cleveland School of Art. Burchfield 's work consistently appears in all the national exhibitions, and he is represented in the country's leading museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the city museums of Boston, Cleveland, and St. Louis.
From Famous American Paintings assembled for the State Fair of TX 1948, exh cat on Piction
Author Sherwood Anderson's 1919 Winesburg, Ohio and 1929 Hello Towns! inspired Charles Burchfield to create "bleak mood and feel of life in a small midwestern town, written by a fellow native of northern Ohio, heightened Burchfield's interest in the subject and encourage his ambition to depict it." "confirms Burchfield's view that buildings have personalitites and rflect moods....Meanwhile, Anderson wrote: "The houses have faces. The windows are eyes. Some houses smile at you, others frown...Sometimes the secrets hidden away behind walls of houses are merely sad, but sometimes they are exciting." From Stephen May's "Charles Burchfield: The Common Man as Uncommon Artist" American Arts Quarterly Fall 1997 another article, "inspired to create a visual counterpart to literary regionalism..."
Burchfield, Charles E. (American, 1893-1967)
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
1947-1953: Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)
From 1953: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas Art Association Purchase, purchased from the artist through Frank K. M. Rehn, Inc., NY [1]
[1] The Dallas Arts Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY~Explore the life and works of Charles E. Burchfield.
- Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, PA~Learn more about the landscapes of Charles E. Burchfield.
- Burchfield Homestead Society~Read about the artist and his home at the Historic Artists' Homes and Studios website.
- YouTube~Watch this video about Charles Burchfield created by the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
- Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY~View the preliminary drawing of Street Scene created in 1937.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- From 1921-1929 Charles Burchfield worked as a wallpaper designer for America's oldest wallpaper manufacturer, M.H. Birge & Sons Company.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1953.7
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General Description
Charles Burchfield first came to Buffalo, New York, in 1921 to design wallpaper for a local firm. There, he painted many of the haunting townscapes that speak of loneliness, isolation, and mystery. Referring to this work, Burchfield himself said, "For me the `picture' was the grim dramatic quality of the buildings in the eerie light of an imminent storm." Street Scene depicts a box-gatherer pulling his cart down Genesee Street on a day in early spring. The scene derives a surreal quality from the giant trade signs of a molar and a pair of shears and the "false-front" effect of the central structure. A master watercolorist, Burchfield used the medium to express visual equivalents of sounds and psychic sensations, often splicing together large sheets of paper to create such monumental works.
Excerpt from
DMA label copy
Fun Facts
- From 1921-1929 Charles Burchfield worked as a wallpaper designer for America's oldest wallpaper manufacturer, M.H. Birge & Sons Company.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY~Explore the life and works of Charles E. Burchfield.
- Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, PA~Learn more about the landscapes of Charles E. Burchfield.
- Burchfield Homestead Society~Read about the artist and his home at the Historic Artists' Homes and Studios website.
- YouTube~Watch this video about Charles Burchfield created by the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
- Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY~View the preliminary drawing of Street Scene created in 1937.
Notes
Createad in 1940-1947
Object File Reviewed
Extensive biography--did not have time to add here
Finch, Chiristopher, American Watercolors (New York: Abbeville Press 1986), p. 231, plate 297 (b/w ill.).
Street Scene, based on a drawing made around 1940, is one of Burchfield's last urban subjects, a return to realist concerns at a time when expressionism was beginning to dominate his work once more. Although his treatment is relatively restrained, a comparison of the final painting with the pencil study shows how Burchfield both simplified and exaggerated the architecture of some of the ..."photocopy ends
Burchfield painted the American Scene long before it was officially labeled and accepted. At a time when study in the French schools was the traditional "must" for young American artists , Burchfield stayed at home and proved that significant art could evolve from the native scene. Along with a few other artists , he aided mightily in deflecting the attention of American painters from the Paris influence to the horrie environment.
His is the kind of painting that needs no complicated translation - perhaps a touch satirically , but also nostalgically , he paints the faded grandeur of yesterday's mansions - the drab rows of cheap suburban houses - the relics of what he terms "our tag-end pioneer days." He paints with a haunting atmospheric truth a muted beauty that does not repel-although with a 20th century feeling for structural organization.
The artist was born in Ohio and studied at the Cleveland School of Art. Burchfield 's work consistently appears in all the national exhibitions, and he is represented in the country's leading museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the city museums of Boston, Cleveland, and St. Louis.
From Famous American Paintings assembled for the State Fair of TX 1948, exh cat on Piction
Author Sherwood Anderson's 1919 Winesburg, Ohio and 1929 Hello Towns! inspired Charles Burchfield to create "bleak mood and feel of life in a small midwestern town, written by a fellow native of northern Ohio, heightened Burchfield's interest in the subject and encourage his ambition to depict it." "confirms Burchfield's view that buildings have personalitites and rflect moods....Meanwhile, Anderson wrote: "The houses have faces. The windows are eyes. Some houses smile at you, others frown...Sometimes the secrets hidden away behind walls of houses are merely sad, but sometimes they are exciting." From Stephen May's "Charles Burchfield: The Common Man as Uncommon Artist" American Arts Quarterly Fall 1997 another article, "inspired to create a visual counterpart to literary regionalism..."
Burchfield, Charles E. (American, 1893-1967)
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
1947-1953: Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)
From 1953: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas Art Association Purchase, purchased from the artist through Frank K. M. Rehn, Inc., NY [1]
[1] The Dallas Arts Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
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